Another Requiem
by Keeper of Fatestones
Summary: Three years have passed since her fight with the Ancients. Unfortunately for Alex, they are back and thirsty for revenge. With Mantorok nearly dead, can the Roivas hope to defeat them?
1. Pious

**Disclaimer: I don't own any character or rights in or to Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. I do own the plot, and the paper the story was written on, though.**

The realm of dreams. This little-known world can be the paradise very much of humanity wishes for as well as the horror that humanity cringes from. At the moment, an extraordinary young woman is in this world. At this exact moment, she is facing a threat few mortals can imagine. A threat that she believed she vanquished three years ago.

Wandering through her grandfather's—No, **her** mansion, Alex couldn't help but feel uneasy. Upon checking the tall-case clock in the library's study, she was mildly surprised to find it was three thirty-three. _Three thirty-three? Why is that so familiar? _The clock chimed without provocation, and she staggered back a step in shock. At the end of the chime, Alex heard a great crash from the main hall and began running to investigate. Flinging the library door open, Alex stifled a scream. Standing dead center of the hall was a face she only glimpsed in the farthest reaches of her memory: Pious Augustus

"Ah… Alexandra…. As beautiful as the night you killed me" he said as if in fond remembrance. Alex composed herself before replying.

"Pious" she spat icily "What are you doing here?" A grim grin spread across his rotting, skeletal face.

"They're not pleased, you know…."

"Did I give a damn last time?" Having chosen to ignore her questions, Pious rapped his staff thrice upon the tiled floor. For each strike, a portal opened. The first, glowing a breathtaking emerald, deposited a Bonethief. The second, flickering a sapphire energy, left a Gatekeeper. The third, smoldering with ruby light, dropped a Horror. The forsaken trio shambled toward her as only beings as unnatural as them could…

Alexandra shot into a sitting position in bed, a freezing sweat covering her entire body. _What a… What a horrible dream. _A glance at the digital clock beside her bed nearly made her heart stop. Three thirty-three. The same time her dream showed her. And the same time, now that she thought of it, that her grandfather was murdered._ Grandfather, are you still protecting me? Was that dream a warning? _Sliding her feet from the bed she shuffled towards the bathroom, hoping a cold rinse would help her. She turned the knob for cold water on and glanced in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she plunged her hands into the icy liquid. She brought the water in handfuls to her face a few times before grabbing a towel to dry off.

"C'mon Alex" she sighed to her reflection "Pious is gone, and so are the Ancients."

"We're never gone…" whispered a feminine voice from the mirror.

**So, I like what I have in store here. Chapter two is written, and three is in progress. I'd like to thank Sammy Dee for her constant cliffhangers, because this story already has one in the first chappy…**


	2. Dreams

**Disclaimer: ****I own no rights to any characters that may or may not appear here. The only thing that's mine is the plot. That being said, I'd like the next chapter of this fic to mark my triumphant return to **

_**Another Requiem, Part 2**_

Alex stood up faster than she thought possible in her groggy state of mind. _That voice… It couldn't be… _The remaining Roivas glanced around the bathroom, searching for any hidden items in the small room. Involuntarily, her eyes lingered on the spacious bath tub. Unbidden, images resurfaced; images of her ancestor Max, images of her grandfather Edward, images from three years prior of her corpse resting in a pool of her own freshly steaming blood. She gagged, covering her mouth and ducking her head over the white marble of the sink

"Come now, little Roivas… That's hardly anything…" whispered the female voice. "You've seen far worse in the time it took you to injure us." Alex felt a chill run up her spine

"Xel'lotath, leave me be" the blonde stated shakily, head still bowed. "You're dead. With Mantorok's help, I killed you in three separate realities that it merged as one. There's no way you can be here." Alex wanted so badly to believe the words she was speaking but she knew it wasn't true. These were words spoken from years of science and cold, hard knowledge. Unfortunately, as several great spellcasters have said 'Where science ends, magyck begins.' She looked up again, now directly at the mirror. The reflection it showed was not of Alex's attractive features; rather it was of what could best be described as a twisted forme of an Angel. Humanoid in shape, the 'Angel' had four arms, no head and, where one should have legs, a spike-like appendage. If that wasn't bad enough, in the center of it's chest sat a single eye, glowing a beautiful, corrosive emerald. From this eye coursed several streams of electricity, reaching out to it's fingertips and 'tail'. In her mirror was an image of the Ancient of Sanity (or lack thereof): Xel'lotath.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I CAN SEE YOUR MIND CLEAR AS DAY! WHY BOTHER SPOUTING WORDS THAT YOU DON'T BELIEVE?" Xel'lotath shrieked, voice shrill as nails on a chalkboard. "…But of course you figured it out already…" it added in a whisper, barely audible. "IF NOT, YOU DON'T DESERVE THE TITLE OF 'GUARDIAN OF LIGHT'!"

"Shut up!" Alex yelled in frustration. "How are you still alive?"

"By a spell Pious wasn't aware of…" whispered the emerald enchantress. "THE FOOL HONESTLY BELIEVED WE WOULD TRUST HIM!"

_Maybe if I keep them talking, I can find out more…,_ thought the young woman. "WE heard THAT!" the Ancient shrieked and whispered in unison."We will give you SOME aid, however…. AT A COST!" Alexandra's attention was too focused on the Ancient before her to notice the tingling her left hand felt. Once the realization hit, it was almost too late. Her hand, covered in a light green glow that pulsed gently, was already holding a single razor blade over her right wrist. The Insane Ancient let out a shrieking cackle as Alex's glowing hand pressed the blade to her flesh, a tiny sting accompanying the cool steel. _No! Let me go, dammit! _Alex focused all her will on gaining control back as she began hearing sounds that shouldn't be able to be heard throughout the foreboding, empty mansion. The sounds of women and children crying and pleading for their lives; a blade being sharpened on a grindstone; footsteps on the first floor, on the ceiling above her, in the bedroom just behind the bathroom door; the familiar chitter of Trappers and Bonethieves as well as the earthshaking footsteps of a Horror.

"Stop, please! I… Please, don't!" yelled Alex as the blade cut into her skin, creating a bloody line before her hand moved up a couple centimeters and began making another cut, deeper than before with crimson actually trickling from the wound.

"DEAR LITTLE ROIVAS, I HATE TO TELL YOU THIS….But we know little about our resurrection… Maybe someone else can tell you…" Alex squeezed her eyes shut, teeth clenched on her lip and drawing shaky breaths. Every passing second, a new mark was made, now deep enough to keep a constant stream of her essence running down into the frigid water and even further down the sink as well. Xel'lotath let out another shriek of laughter as Alex shivered from the amount of blood the cuts, criss-crossing from her wrist to elbow, were draining from her body. Feeling herself slipping from consciousness, she vaguely noted that both hands were now glowing. Her right now turned, exposing unmarked skin which the left hand eagerly began painting with rough, leaking red lines. Not more than a few minutes later, she saw the bathroom swim in her vision. Everything blurred and she heard the Ancient's mad laughter echoing in her head as she blacked out…

**Yay for cliffies! Anyways, enjoy the new chapter people! I'm in such a happier mood, and you'll probably see much more being done with my profile. As always, please read and review, it's the fuel for my desire to write! And lastly, look out for new stories from me as well! Love you all, reviewers and non-reviewers, favorites and alerts! TTYL! :3**


	3. Prelude to the Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I don't own any character or rights in or to Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. I do own the plot of this idea and the brain tissue it's recorded on**

Alexandra Roivas sat up in her bed for the second time that night, panting harshly and drenched in a cold sweat. The blonde woman absently rubbed her bare arms, eyes squeezed shut as she tried to gather her thoughts. _The An—, __**They're,**_ she mentally corrected herself, _back. All the work that Mantorok and I put into slaying them… All a waste… _The blonde shook her head, banishing these thoughts. _Mantorok is dead. Or dying. It's permanent death, not just a weakening and disappearance until It's power returns. But maybe with the Tome I can seek It's council one last time. _She had to laugh at this point. _'Seek It's council?' What am I, a renaissance-era woman? Either way, maybe It can tell me how to beat Them again without It's help._

She climbed out of her bed and stood by the bedroom door, listening for a minute or so. If you had been through the horrors she had, you would do the same if not more. Deciding that it'd be better to be safe, She went back to her dresser and slowly pulled out the top drawer, gently and quietly sifting through her clothing until she found what she was looking for: the Gladius that served her faithfully over the course of her fight with Them three years prior. Softly, she whispered "_**Mantorok, Pargon, Magormor, Pargon, Pargon, Antorbok**_" _**(*1)**_, causing the sword to glow a light purple. After using the Enchant Item spell she memorized from the Tome, Alex decided to gain some additional protection. Again, in a low whisper, she chanted: "_**Mantorok, Pargon, Bankorok, Pargon, Pargon, Santek**_" _**(*2)**_, making seven glowing, purple orbs appear and begin circling her. The Shield spell served her well last time, so why shouldn't it help again?

Deciding that it'd be best not to waste any more time she went to the door, pausing to listen once more before heading out. Despite the gloominess of the mansion, it was home to her, thus fuelling Alex's decision not to change it in any way. She glanced at the bust on the table in the near the door to her bedroom, momentarily pleased that it didn't seem to be watching her. _Well, there's some good news_, she thought to herself. _I just have to get to the study. No big deal, really._ The blonde had reached the main foyer by now and was looking cautiously over the banisters. _No sign of anything yet. No sounds either, save for the crickets outside. I'll take all the good signs I can get._ Alex had stashed the Tome in her grandfather's secret study, casting a Damage Field spell around the room should any _unwanted guests_ attempt to take it. Once the Ancients were defeated, the barrier and force field spells seemed to last much longer, a few months at least, ensuring she only had to cast it every now and then.

_**Kind of a slow, short chapter, I know, but it'll pick up in the next one. As always, R&R are appreciated but not mandatory. Hope ya'll enjoy until next time**_

_**A/N: **__**(*1) and (2*) **__**To save readers the time to wrack their minds trying to remember the spells and runes, I figured I'd just put them down here. Every time a new spell is introduced (well, newly used in the story) I'll put a symbol like these guys - **__**(*x)**__** there as a reference to check at the end of the story. Kudos to anyone who knows the spell already :) That's enough rant for now, though. See ya, guys**_


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